


Amor Omnia Vincit

by Plainoldarkness



Series: Vivamus, Moriendum Est [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Magic, Princes & Princesses, Royalty, SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE, Subscribe to Technoblade, Tags will be updated as the story progresses, This is dnf but I'm in love with techno so we're gonna be seeing him quite a bit, can you see where this is going yet, dark royalty core - Freeform, dark royalty core pog?, dirty crime boys, george is a prince, mmm waltz dancing with the person you hate, oh yeah george hates the hot criminal with the smiley face mask, techno is an anarchist who is wanted for many terroristic acts dont worry about it, they have a masquerade party, who is this hot criminal with the smiley face mask
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:53:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28240467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plainoldarkness/pseuds/Plainoldarkness
Summary: "How do I get your trust?""You don't.""Oh come on... surely there's something.""For all I know you're some assassin or a spy, I don't know who you are, I don't even know what you look like.""I'm handsome."George scoffed, how could this guy be so bold? What was his goal with this?"You don't believe me?""I don't care to know whether you are or not.""What do you care about?""You leaving.""Aw... I'm hurt Prince, do you really hate me so much?""I will if you don't listen to me.""But where's the fun in that?"-----Previously named 'The Masquerade'
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Vivamus, Moriendum Est [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173011
Comments: 38
Kudos: 148





	1. The room with the piano

"Today we'd like to announce that we will be hosting a royal wedding in a month. Our very own Prince George will be marrying to help reinforce our relations with our allies and we will see that this will create generations of peace between our two kingdoms. This is a joyous time for celebration and this will lead to a new age for us!" The crowd before them gave applause to the announcement. The people seemed to be happy, but the prince standing before them felt sick to his stomach at the thought of this marriage, of course, he couldn't showcase this to everyone. His parents told him to go out there and look pretty for their citizens, don't say a word of his thoughts. Just put on a show to appease them. This was his life, repeatedly acting like the happy noble prince his parents wanted him to be, even though he was nothing like that behind castle doors and they knew this.

  
Soon the sound of the crowd died down and his parents spoke more about a few more specific details of who will be arriving for the wedding and how the townsfolk should prepare for the occasion. Finally, once everything was done his parents ushered him away and they were on their merry way back to the castle once more. "You could have smiled more." His mother didn't make eye contact with him as she spoke, she rarely did. "I know, mother." The only sound after that was the crunch of the horses' hooves and the carriage wheels against the gravel path back home and the disgust radiating from his parents. It was dark by the time they got back and they were escorted by the knights into the stone walls that George had to call home. Once he was able to, he separated from them and went to his room, the place he spent most of his spare time. There was a slim chance his parents were going to summon him for dinner, but he expected a maid was going to bring him his food instead.

  
Sure, there was once upon a time when George and his parents got along just fine. His father would spar with him using wooden swords in the fields, his mom would take him to the garden and make him a flower crown of daisies, one of his favorites. They weren't showy and magnificent like many of the other beautiful flowers they had ordered from far away lands, but there was something about them that reminded George of himself. They were simple and maybe a bit bland, but he could be bland at times himself. His friends when he was younger used to say he had a very 'dry' personality, though maybe it was caused by his parents raising him to act like someone he wasn't, especially in front of other people. He wasn't allowed to see his friends anymore, not after what happened.

  
George lay across his bed, his pillow and blanket were made of pricey silk, the type you'd probably only find in the homes of those who could afford it, like a castle or possibly even some richer nobles mansions. He never really understood the necessity to have such expensive things in the first place. Shouldn't such money be used to be improving the state of their land? Helping the poor onto their feet? Paying to repave roads and building hospitals for the sick? The way of their society disgusted him in more ways than this, but it wasn't like he had the power to do anything about it. If he were to even speak one word of his opinion his parents would shut him down in an instant, tell him that things such as that simply just weren't possible, even though he had seen the treasure room before, they certainly had the gold to spare.

  
Instead, they were gonna use this money on frivolous spendings, like throwing a large wedding in a month just for some political alliance. Is it that hard to just sign a few papers and have it done and over with? No, they had to go have their fun, pay tons and tons of gold just for decorating the venue! There's still the payment of the buffet of food they were surely going to have there as well..... all for a wedding George wanted nothing to do with! He wasn't even into women in the first place, so getting married to one isn't the most ideal situation to be put in. Then there were his parents not even telling him that they'd been preparing this for at least the past five months, completely leaving him in the dark. George was sure he would have been told, or even better, asked if he wanted to do this if their relationship was better, but it only gets worse by the day.

  
A prince shouldn't wallow in his problems as much as George did though, he was well aware of how awful his own citizens' living situations were. He could have it much worse, his number one problem he worried about was that he had to have a lavish marriage! Who in their right mind would be so upset by that? Still, George found himself antagonizing every day that drew closer to that day ever since his parents told him about it, almost constantly feeling sick to his stomach when the thought was on his mind, which was always. He was just like all the other stuck up pricks that he had to mingle with on a day to day basis, having problems that should not be considered a big deal at all..... just the other day he had heard his mother shouting at a servant because a portrait was just ever so slightly turned the wrong way and how they were too oblivious and idiotic to notice such an important detail of the hallway they were in. She was fuming on that for almost a full three hours..... George had ended up avoiding her for the rest of that day.

  
There was a knock on his door, startling him from his thoughts. He assumed it was dinner, so he forced himself out of bed to let in the servant bringing him food, but as he pulled the wooden door open, there stood his father instead. "Father." George greeted, looking down at his feet, feeling the powerful gaze of the regally dressed man in front of him. "George, your mother and I request that you eat dinner with us tonight." If it was a servant telling him that it was just a request then he may have stayed in his room, but coming from his father he knew the request meant that he was required to join them and that he had no choice in the matter. "Okay, father." He could tell his father's intense gaze had gotten worse without even seeing it for himself. "That's a 'yes, father' to you, it's highly disrespectful to respond with just an okay." He sneered out, George tensing a bit at his aggressive tone, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to this. "...yes, father." He finally said. "Good, I'll see you once you change into appropriate clothing."

  
With that his father turned away and walked off, George assumed to the dining hall. Appropriate clothing? The outfit he was wearing right now was good enough, why would he have to change out of this? It would only cause more work for the servants wouldn't it to change when it wasn't necessary? There were only a few wrinkles in it, after all, he could just smooth out his shirt a bit and he'd be presentable. After swiping down on his white frilly top and making sure nothing seemed to look strange about his outfit, he too went to the dining hall where he found his mother and father already seated on opposite ends of a table that was much too large for any one family to own. It went from almost one side of the room to the other, and it wasn't like they held balls or hosted guests every day of the week so what even was the purpose? Pushing the thought to the side he took his place in a seat in the middle, not wanting to sit close to either his mother or father. As a child he'd switch between sitting right next to the both of them every night, sometimes sitting next to one a few nights in the row if he was angry at the other, but it usually never last for longer than a week when this happened. George missed these times.....

  
"Nice of you to join us for once, instead of holing yourself away in your room night after night." His mother huffed, tapping her foot lightly on the ground. It was annoying to listen to after a while, but George did his best to try and ignore it. Even if he said anything about it it's not like she'd stop. She'd probably just pettily click her shoe against their marble flooring even more just to spite her son. "Father requested I join you." He almost added on 'or else I would've stayed there for the rest of the night', but he knew that'd cause trouble. "That's because we have matters to discuss, but let's eat first so we're not on empty stomachs. How much longer until it's ready?" He said the last part to a nearby maid, who very clearly did not want to explain what the hold up was. "I'm sorry, sir. It seems we're having another situation in the kitchen. All of the bread has gone missing this time, we have no idea what keeps happening....." She nervously explained, doing the same thing George did when he spoke with his father, staring directly at the floor. "God damn it..... first it was the carrots then the potatoes, now the bread? What the hell is going on?" The king huffed out a sigh but seemed to be trying to keep his cool. "No matter, we can deal with that later. Just make something with what you have. Does this mean nothing is even in the works of being made right now?"

  
George ended up tuning out the conversation since he wasn't involved with it. He glanced around the room at the disgustingly beautiful interior decorating they had. A large chandelier above them, lighting up the entire room. Portraits of generations of their royal family hung up so whenever guests came to visit they had to look at them all of dinner. There were intricate designs in the architecture of the grand hall, leading up to the painted ceiling, of which detailed some kind of mythical tale he knew nothing about. He was sure he once asked his parents about it, but he had long since forgotten what it was about. George moved his gaze back down in time to see someone dressed in servant's clothing going into the kitchen. It wasn't anyone he recognized, it looked like they were wearing something on their face, but they were gone through the doors too fast for George to know. The best he could do was assume it was just a new worker since he didn't know who they were, but there was still just something about them that felt off to George, though maybe he was just trying to make things up to entertain himself as he waited for his father to stop yelling at the poor maid.

  
A few minutes passed before the maid was finally allowed to leave, which left the room in uncomfortable silence, well, other than the constant clicking of his mothers' heel. George wanted nothing but for this night to just finally be over, he already thought the carriage to and from town was enough face to face time with his parents as is. They never had anything to talk about, political discussion never ended well so it was rarely brought up during a casual time like this, but that left him and his parents having nothing to say to each other. So, they waited in complete silence until finally food was brought out and served to them. At least if they were eating they could ignore the painfully loud quiet that filled the room. The food was good, it always was, that's what happens when your parents hire the 'best' chefs in the land to cook for you every night, another useless way of spending their wealth in Georges' opinion. Not that he didn't appreciate the hard work that the chefs did, but did they need to always have the most high-quality items and in such large quantities every single night?

  
The dreaded moment was finally reached with the clink of his fathers' fork being set down on his now empty plate. "So, as I mentioned before, we have something to talk about tonight, and before you get yourself into a twist it's only somewhat related to your wedding. Your mother and I were thinking of holding a ball as a way to do an even larger announcement to more of the nobility and nearby kingdoms and to hand out invitations to it in person upon their arrival. We'll be sending out word of the ball tomorrow." His father concluded. "So we're going to be sending out invitations for a ball so we can give them invitations to the wedding? Why don't we just send out wedding invitations instead of hosting a ball that we don't need to have?" George asked, unable to keep himself from questioning his father on this horrid decision. "It's not just any ball, it's going to be a masquerade! Everyone who is coming will be wearing masks, doesn't that just seem like so much fun?" His mother spoke, at least she didn't yell at him for speaking back to his father for once. "Whatever you say, mother." That got a look out of her. "We're doing this for you George, don't you want your wedding to be the best day of your entire life?" She asked eyes narrowed. George had to force every part of himself to not tell her he didn't want this and that they were doing it for themselves because they wanted to just show off how much better they are than everyone else.

  
"Don't speak to me or your mother like that George, you're being awfully disrespectful today. We do so much for you, the least you can do is show at least an ounce of gratitude towards us." As pissed off as he was, George knew he couldn't respond negatively again if he wanted to avoid any more conflict. Luckily enough out of the corner of his eye he caught the figure of someone peaking through one of the side doors, so his attention was drawn for a moment in that direction, helping to subside the anger he was currently feeling with curiosity. The moment they realized George had seen them though, they were gone. "I'm sorry, father. I'm sorry, mother. I can't wait until this weekend, I'm sure our guests will have a great time." George stood from his seat now. "Since we've finished dinner I'll excuse myself to my room. Goodnight to the both of you." Before they could say anything to keep him there, George had already left. He didn't know whoever this person was or why they were catching his attention much more than they should, but he wanted to follow them, maybe even speak with them. He wasn't even sure what he'd say if he were to be able to catch up, but he'd think of something by then.

  
It was like a game of cat and mouse, George just seeing glimpses here and there of this stranger as he followed them down hall after hall, slowly being able to get closer to them until after one turn he had lost them completely. He checked nearby rooms to see if he maybe went into one to hide from him, but to no avail. He had to admit defeat to whoever wasn't trying to be caught by him, so he began heading back to his room, which was now on the complete opposite end of the castle, so he had some walking ahead of him to get there... what a pain. Or so he thought, but a hand grabbed at his arm from nowhere, pulling him into a dark room he didn't even know existed. "I didn't know you were one to give up on a chase so soon." A voice came from the person who grabbed him, but George couldn't make out any defining details of who it was, not with how dark it was. "Who are you? I should have you arrested for doing this, it's no way of treating a prince." George hated the words he spoke as he said them, but he couldn't think of anything else. His heart was racing too fast to think normally.

  
"Come on..... don't tell me you weren't having a bit of fun following me, after all, if you weren't curious you would have alerted a guard already of a mysterious individual in the castle and left it at that." Even though he couldn't see the other male, he could tell by the tone of his voice that he was smiling. Though, maybe that was because his eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and he could now make out that he was indeed wearing something on his face. A porcelain mask, with a drawn-out smile on it, and it was harder to tell, but it looked to also have a crack running up the side of it. "You seem to be more confident in yourself than you should be, I'd be more careful with your words. All I'd have to do is scream right now and the guards will come running to get me."

  
"You're really no fun, aren't you? I bet you're awful to hang out with at a party."

  
"I don't like parties."

  
"My exact point."

  
"Whatever, who are you? What are you doing here? I know you don't work here, I'd recognize you. Plus, no one wears a sketchy mask like yours."

  
"It's nothing that you need to know about, Prince. I haven't hurt a single soul and that's all you should worry about."

  
"I can't be letting masked individuals be running around, how did you even get inside? The outside walls are heavily guarded."

  
"Oh, I'm aware of how many knights you have stationed in the area. Who needs that much protection? You guys aren't even aware of any enemies to be scared of."

  
"I wouldn't be the one to be asked that, I don't know why we do, but you being here should maybe be the answer to that question."

  
"Possibly, but you don't need to be afraid of me, Prince."

  
"I have no reason to trust you on that."

  
"How do I get your trust?"

  
"You don't."

  
"Oh come on... surely there's something."

  
"For all I know you're some assassin or a spy, I don't know who you are, I don't even know what you look like."

  
"I'm handsome."

  
George scoffed, how could this guy be so bold? What was his goal with this?

  
"You don't believe me?"

  
"I don't care to know whether you are or not."

  
"What do you care about?"

  
"You leaving."

  
"Aw... I'm hurt Prince, do you actually hate me so much?"

  
"I will if you don't listen to me."

  
"But where's the fun in that?"

  
"It's not supposed to be fun, you can be killed just for trespassing, if you're seen here right now with me they'd think you're trying to kidnap me."

  
"Oh, they won't find us, I've been using this place for weeks now."

  
"That's even worse."

  
"Is it?"

  
This guy was getting on George's last nerve, but for some odd reason, he couldn't find it in him to bring attention to their location so he could have the masked man arrested for the crimes he was currently committing.

  
"You've gone rather quiet."

  
"I'm thinking about how much of a great idea it would be to call on a guard right now."

  
"You would have done that a long time ago if you wanted to, but I know you don't."

  
"You're an asshole."

  
"That's a very mean thing to say to me."

  
"Because you've made me follow you around this castle and have trapped me in this room and won't tell me a single thing of who you are and why you're here? What even is this place anyway?"

  
"I've been waiting for you to ask."

  
He moved to grab something and soon enough in the masked man's hand was a lit lantern, lighting up his features for George to see much better. As George thought, the mask did indeed have a crack and anyone could tell the mask seemed to have been old and used for many years, what was probably once white had now become tinged with yellow. He could also make out what he was wearing because in the time he had first seen him and now, he had changed. Now covering almost his entire body was a green robe, a hood over his head so George couldn't even tell what his hair looked like. "I know I'm quite the view to see, but you should be checking out the room instead of me." He chuckled. "I wasn't 'checking' you out!" What was wrong with him? "Sure you weren't, now come on, look at this place already."

  
George didn't like how comfortable this guy was getting around him, acting as if the two of them were friends, making a joke like that..... with a huff George finally looked to the room that was now dimly visible because of the lantern. "Oh, my....." It was a ballroom, it was smaller than the one they used for all of their parties, much less as showy. No windows, no chandelier, no grand paintings on the walls, just one piano situated in the corner of the room that seemed to have been abandoned long ago. It was old as well, wallpaper peeling away and aging, it was sad thinking about how forgotten the whole room felt. "But... where did this come from? I've grown up here all my life how could I have never known this was here? How do you know it's here?"

  
The masked male laughed quietly, but gave no response, instead he walked over to the lonesome piano and sat down. "Do you know how to play the piano?" He placed a gloved hand on the keys, pressing a few of the notes, but not to any specific tune. "I wanted to learn once as a child, my parents got me a tutor, but I gave up after a few weeks. I ended up not liking it." George stepped towards the piano, but he didn't want to be anywhere near the green-robed male, he still didn't trust that he wasn't up to something. It could be best to just play along until he finds the right time to just get out of there. "I know how to play a few songs, though it's been a while since I've last gotten the chance to so I'd be a bit rusty if I tried now." He stood up now, head turning to look at George. "Do you at least know how to dance?"

  
".....I do know how to dance." He tilted his head at George's response. It was hard to tell what he was thinking with that damn porcelain mask, but George did not like where this is going if he was assuming correctly. "Care to dance?" And he was right. "I'm not dancing with a criminal."

  
"I wouldn't consider myself a criminal."

  
"I do."

  
"Harsh words, Prince."

  
George rolled his eyes. "I'm also not dancing with someone I don't know the name of." There was for once silence from the masked man, George didn't need to see his face to know that he'd struck something.

  
"Dream, my name is Dream."


	2. Wedding with a faceless bride

"Dream, my name is Dream."

Dream? There was no way that was his actual name, right? It felt more like a cover name so he didn't have to tell him his actual name, which would make sense. If he was here on illegal business then he wouldn't tell the prince his actual name. "Your name isn't Dream." George finally said after a moment of silence. "What makes you say that? I'm not from around here. You're really insulting my homeland by accusing me with that." Dream did have a much different accent from him, but it wasn't so strange that it seemed to come from somewhere far away, he'd certainly heard it before. "Then what's the name of your homeland, Dream?" George asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is the Prince trying to get to know me? It's like we're on our first date." George could only roll his eyes at him, he was avoiding answering the question. "Are you trying your hardest to get me to hate you?"

"I think you're just denying that you're falling for me."

"I've never considered such a thing as that. I'm getting married in a month and you are a criminal who should be thrown in the dungeons for the rest of his life."

"You don't want to get married though."

How could he know that? "I do."

"You don't. I think the reason you're still here is that getting involved with a 'criminal' like me gives your boring princey life a change for once. You have no friends, no genuine social life, and you're a little pawn for the King and Queen to use as they please. No matter what you do, you're just someone to be controlled......... By the look on your face, it seems I've struck a nerve. I hit the nail right on its head, didn't I?" Oh, that prideful dick was going too far now. "Get out." Dream leaned against the piano with a tilt of his head. "Does this mean you won't dance with me?"

"Get out right now or I'm calling for the guards."

"Can I get a kiss before I go?"

That was the last straw. "Guards! Help! There's a strange man in here! Guards!" George's voice rang out loudly, his voice range when he screamed could likely be heard from miles away. The room went dark, Dream must have blown out the lantern. George could hear clanky footsteps nearby, must be the guards trying to figure out how to get to him. "I'm in here! I don't know how to get out, it's too dark to see anything." The movement became more of a shuffling sound as the guards were attempting to figure out how to reach him. "Don't worry Prince, we'll figure out how to get you out. Are you hurt or in danger in any way?" George glanced around the room, it was too dark to tell if Dream was still there or not, but in his heart, he knew Dream was gone by now. "I'm neither of those, I'm completely safe, but I can't see anything or find an exit."

It took a few minutes of waiting, but the guards eventually found how to open the entrance to the room from the hallway. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary wall, but there was a door covered in wallpaper that almost completely blended in. "How long has this been here do you think?" One guard asked, he had a head of black hair and a white bandana wrapped around his forehead. "Probably eons this room went abandoned. Should we do something about it? Prince, did you say there was a man with you in there? We should probably investigate the room to figure out how he got in." The other guard spoke now, this one had brown hair. The black-haired guard looked to be ready to say something, but- "No, there wasn't anyone with me." The words came out of his mouth before he thought over what he was saying. Why was he covering for a criminal? "I found the room on accident and the door closed behind me and I couldn't find it since it was too dark to see anything." George lied, something he had become incredibly good at. At least one skill of being raised to act like someone you weren't was learning how to fabricate something on the spot, too bad all of the lies he tried telling Dream were caught instantly. George didn't understand how he could have him so well pegged on his personality and his motives. It pissed him off. "So, there's nothing to worry about with this room?" George shook his head. "You're free to go back to what you were doing, thank you so much for your help. Here," George went to grab his coin purse, only to find it wasn't there, "Oh... I wanted to give a tip for your troubles, but it seems I've misplaced my coin purse. What are your names so I can remember to give you two a few extra coins for your troubles?"

"Oh, that won't be necessary." The brown-haired guard said. "Karl, it's free money, if you won't take it then I will you little pissbaby. The names Nick by the way, but my friends call me Sapnap, now how much money are we talking here?" Karl rolled his eyes at Sapnap but seemed to not be too annoyed by his friends' insult. "Sap, this is the prince we're talking to here....." Karl said quietly through clenched teeth. "Does it look like I care?" Karl looked to George apologetically, he seemed to be nervous for his friend acting out in the way that he was, but George wasn't too bothered, he was preoccupied thinking about why he recognized Sapnap. "Oh! We used to spar as kids while you were training as a squire, Nick. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner, it's been a while since we've actually talked. How long ago did you finally become a knight?" Sapnap elbowed Karl with a snicker as if to make fun of him for being so worried. George could also sense a bit of joy that he'd remembered him. "Two weeks ago actually, it took longer than it should have, it kept getting put off because I was apparently too 'aggressive' and 'rude' and needed to learn how to respect my superiors as if I've ever disrespected anyone in my life." Karl rolled his eyes again at how contradictory of a statement that was, but it wasn't like there was much he could say at this point. "Anyways, you really don't need to give us anything, it's part of our job to protect you." Sapnap looked ready to punch Karl. "Again, if you don't want the coins then I'll take your share of them, but I do want them. Only an idiot turns down free gold."

"Only an idiot gets knighthood five months after he was supposed to."

They started bickering back and forth about who the true idiot was, which was rather entertaining for George to watch. He could tell the 'argument' was just friendly banter, it made him think a lot about..... well.... no, probably shouldn't dwell on that for long.

"Only an idiot could like an idiot like me." Sapnap snickered. "Good thing I don't like an idiot like you."

"Last night says otherwise."

"Sapnap!" Karl turned a bright shade of red and glanced to George, eyes widening a bit as it dawned on him that he was still standing there. Sapnap seemed unbothered by the obvious distress and embarrassment Karl was feeling. "So, about that gold." Sapnap cheekily smiled at George, it seemed he had won the argument. "...right, I'll be sure to get it to you guys once I find where I left my coin purse at and give you a few for your troubles today. Thank you again. I'll be taking my leave now." George awkwardly smiled and the two bowed to him as he walked away. George could tell they were good friends, but it certainly wasn't any of his business knowing anything more than that. Faintly in the background, he could hear them talking again, though he was unable to make out the words that they were saying, it seemed Karl was quick to get over what had just happened. Sounded like they were doing some terrible singing and laughing the night away..... George envied it. When was the last time he was able to have some actual fun?

 _...getting involved with a 'criminal' like me gives your boring princey life a change for once..._ Dreams words wouldn't leave his head as he searched around the castle for his coin purse. He retraced his steps and ended up in the dining hall. All the plates had been cleared and seats were pushed in, it'd been cleaned to the point where it looked brand new as if no living soul had ever even laid a finger on its surface. George bet that if even a singular speck of dust was found by either of his parents that they'd have a breakdown. He searched the room from front to back and didn't find his gold. When was the last time he remembered having it? He was certain he had it on him when they went into town, he had been hoping his parents would let him go into a few shops while they were there. They didn't, but he had been hopeful. After that was the ride back home, he was sure he could faintly recall having his hand over the bag on the way back. Maybe he left it in the carriage?

 _You have no friends, no genuine social life..._ If he ever saw Dream again he was gonna punch him in the face. Speaking to him like that? Something had to be wrong with his head. Maybe he was insane or mentally ill, or both. Probably both. George smiled at his dumb thought, at least making fun of Dream made himself feel better, though he was still planning on punching him at some point. The prick had it coming after everything he said. It took some walking and sneaking around, George wasn't allowed outside the castle walls after dark, but soon he had gotten to their carriage they had ridden in earlier that day. He had to slowly unlatch the door, it liked to make so many clinking noises when you tried opening it, what a pain. George was able to get in without alerting the guards, he thanked the gods for that. Though he would immediately take it back once he realized his coins purse also wasn't in the carriage, meaning this entire mission out into the cold dark and avoiding guards wasn't worth it at all. Just his luck. As if to make things worse, when closing the carriage door it made the loudest possible sound it had to make. "Damn it..."

"Halt! Who's there? This is royal property, trespassing here calls for immediate punishment. Come with me willingly or die trying to get away." A females voice called from behind him. George turned to look at who she was, immediately recognizing their head knight, Captain Puffy. "Prince? You're not supposed to be out here this late, your parents will be worried sick." Her tone went softer as soon as she realized she wasn't dealing with any kind of criminal. "They wouldn't be worried, trust me, but I just misplaced my coin purse and I wanted to check if I left it in the carriage, it was meant to just be a quick trip in and out. It's not here though, so I really need to keep looking." Puffy stopped him before he could leave, taking a hold of his shoulder. "I'll escort you back inside." She offered. "I'm not a little kid who needs protecting anymore, it's not that far from here anyway..." Captain Puffy gave him a look of concern. She had just become a knight during George's teenage years, forgive her for getting at least somewhat protective over him. "Fine, but you know I'll have to write about you in my report for tonight." He couldn't help but frown at that, but he knew that if she were to lie in her report and get caught then she'd face some terrible consequences from his parents. "It's fine, how much more could they be disappointed in me at this point?"

George could feel Puffy's eyes on him until he was safely back inside the stone walls and completely out of sight. He just wanted this day to be over with already, he wanted it to be done the moment he woke up in the morning. He felt that most mornings, wanting to just sleep the entire day away and the night away, only waking to take care of himself then go back to sleep. He was usually asleep at this time and he could feel the exhaustion weighing down on him like a boulder. The coin purse could wait, plus, it's not like he couldn't venture into the treasury and snag a couple of coins. No one would even notice if they went missing, considering how much they already had.

 _...you're a pawn by the King and Queen to use as they please._ George was finally back in his room by now, Dreams words bouncing around his head non-stop. His head made contact with the pillow, and even though his body was fatigued, he couldn't seamlessly fall asleep, his head too wide awake with the events that had happened today. _No matter what you do..._ George wanted his voice out of his head. _...you're just someone to be controlled....._ George clenched his eyes tightly shut, his hands wrapped into fists, nails digging at the skin on his palm. He wanted it gone, he wanted it out so bad. His hands started to feel wet and he opened his eyes to look at them, but he was no longer in his bed when he looked at his surroundings, instead he was standing in an empty white room with no doors to leave. It all seemed hazy but felt clear at the same time. His hand was opened and in it was a crushed daisy, the liquid in its stem and the pollen had smeared all over his hand. George let it fall from his hand then tried to wipe away the remains of it from his palm, but it seemed to be completely stuck, reluctant to leave. The taste of iron filled his mouth and with his non-flower destroying hand he went to cover his mouth. The cold trickle of blood came from his lips and he was forced to open it, teeth landing in his hand. George fell backward at the sight, looking away from the blood covering his hands.

In the blink of an eye, he was now sitting on the floor in a chapel, his clothes had changed to a suit and his hands were no longer covered in flower guts and blood. There were bouquets of dead flowers decorating just about every wall and they littered the entire archway George was sat under. "You're making a fool of yourself, stand up and smile. It's what the people want." He could hear his father's voice, but when turning his head side to side his father was nowhere to be seen. Despite this, George listened to the voice of his father and stood up, running a hand over himself to wipe away all the dirt and dust that collected on him from the ground. Here comes the bride echoed hauntingly throughout the building, sending chills down George's spine. Walking down the red carpet was what looked to be a woman, her white dress bellowed out and trailed after her as she took each step, though none of them made any noise. Soon she was standing in front of George, but her veil was keeping her face hidden from him. _You don't want to get married._ Dreams voice boomed in his head. There was applause from the audience, but there wasn't even anyone seated in the rows of benches in front of the two. The woman lifted her veil, but she had no face. George nearly fell over again from the sight. "George!" It was Dreams voice. He desperately looked to find where it was coming from, anything to get out of what was happening. "Behind you!" He looked over his shoulder to spot a masked figure he could recognize as that criminal.

George looked to the woman again to find she had turned to nothing but bones, but she was leaning towards him as if for a kiss. He stepped back, falling from the pedestal they were on, pulling himself up and away from her. A hand went to his neck and he tossed away the tie there, then the jacket. Step after step he ran towards where he had seen Dream, only to find he was now gone. There was an open door nearby that he bolted into, which seemed to have led right back to the white room. George went to leave immediately but the door he had come through had turned into one of the white walls. Trapped, again. He tried punching, kicking, ramming himself against the white walls encasing him, but he was unable to escape. Giving up, George lay down in the middle of the room, staring at the white ceiling. It felt like an eternity went by before he heard- "George, you're so dumb, the exit is over here. Get off your ass and come with me." It was Dream again, his voice sounded so smooth and soft..... He reached out a gloved hand to George, which he took, letting Dream pull him up from his position. George tried taking a step forward, but his legs wouldn't move, so instead, he ended up leaning into Dream. "I can't walk..." His throat was dry. "That's okay, I'll hold onto you George..." Dream wrapped an arm around his waist, helping him move forward step by step, into a dark and empty hallway. "This is the only way out."

Before they fully submerged themselves into the darkness of the hallway Dream stopped walking. "Let me give you a kiss goodbye." His mask was pushed up ever so slightly and before George could protest against it, Dream had pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. George could do nothing more than let it happen since he couldn't get his own body to move away. "Let's dance the next time we meet, okay?" Dream whispered against his lips, before letting go of George. He braced himself to hit the ground, but instead, he found himself in a free fall, and panic set in as he realized what was happening. And with that George was sat up in his bed, the complete black he could only see before faded off as his eyes adjusted to his room. His breathing was heavy, causing his already dry throat to get worse. "What the fuck....." Was all he could manage to hoarsely get out, doing his best to process the nightmare he had just experienced. Dream was just as infuriating in his nightmare as he was in real life, but the kiss was now etched into his brain and likely wasn't going away anytime soon. It's all his fault for all that flirting he had been doing, must have ended up seeping into his dream. If he wanted to punch Dream before, that feeling was increased tenfold, just over a nightmare.

George managed to get out of bed, his legs trembling ever so slightly as his bare feet made contact with the cool marble flooring. He needed to get himself a glass of water before he even tried to attempt going to sleep after that. The prince also wasn't allowed out of his room at night, but there wasn't ever anyone stationed directly outside his room so it wouldn't be too hard to sneak his way to the kitchen without being seen. Being dainty had its perks sometimes, meaning he could be light and quick on his feet. In no time he had reached the kitchen, but something was off..... someone was there. "Who's there?" George asked, trying to put on a brave tone to his voice. "I know you're there, show yourself." There was no light on so it was hard to tell, but George could make out the figure of a much larger male than him. "Well..." The voice was deep, "This is awkward... that guy told me no one would be in here at this hour..." He didn't seem too concerned that he'd been caught, maybe just slightly annoyed that there was a hindrance. "Would you believe me if I told you that this is all a dream and that you're going to be waking up soon?"

"What? No!"

"How about a figment of your imagination?"

"Are you insane?"

"A ghost from the past?"

"I wouldn't believe any of those!"

"Well, I tried to make this easier, but I see you've chosen the hard way." No matter if George had good reflexes or not, there was no avoiding the hit to the head from the hilt of a sword. The last thing he saw of the male was his face, which to his surprise was not a human face, but that of a pig, and on his head was a crown. George's vision was dark, but he could hear a few last words before he lost complete consciousness. "Techno! That was the prince!"

"A minor obstacle. We need to get finished here and leave already, why do you care if a single prince got a bit of a head injury along the way?"

"I'm taking him to his room, you better hope you're lucky enough that he doesn't remember you when he wakes up."

George recognized that voice, it was... "...Dream..?"

After that he completely blacked out, waking up again wrapped up nice and cozy in his bed, the morning light filtering in through his window. He would have thought it was all just a dream if a splintering headache didn't immediately erupt on his head from where that pig guy had hit him last night. "Fuck....." His throat hurt badly now, but he didn't even want to get out of bed because of the horrible pain he was in. George turned to his side so his head wasn't facing where the light was, now seeing there was a glass on his nightstand filled with water. With what little energy he had, George sat up and grabbed the glass, greedily gulping it down until there wasn't a single drop left. As he set it back down he saw a letter perched up by it, the name on it was addressed to him. He took the letter in his hands and opened it, pulling out the slip of paper inside, squinting to read what it said.

_Dear Prince,_

_Sorry about last night, forget it ever happened, you'll thank me later if you do. I left you a glass of water and a daisy I found outside that I thought you might like. Hope you have a good day despite the head injury. Hope you have it in yourself to forgive us, we didn't know you'd be there so late at night. Off-topic, but have you noticed something of yours go missing recently?_

_Sincerely your dearest loved one,_

_Dream_

That bastard stole his coin purse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the first time in years I didn't lose motivation while writing a second chapter to a fanfic I was starting to get really invested into. I'm honestly getting so many more ideas than what I began with and I really hope I can keep this motivation going to keep writing. Thank you guys so much for the support so far and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Consider it an early Christmas present :)


	3. A portrait of animals

George really wanted to distract himself from all the thoughts going through his head, but he also didn't want to leave his room. It was almost guaranteed he was going to get scolded by his parents for his little escapade outside the castle walls, and who knew what kind of punishment they'd think of for him. He had to do an array of things as punishment before, usually related to what he did to get in trouble, like cleaning the dust from the entire castle after he accidentally broke a vase or counting every coin of gold they had in the treasury after they'd caught him sneaking in there to pocket a few for himself. He wasn't sure what they were gonna make him do for this, but George would rather hold off on doing it until they forced him out of the room. Until then, he was stuck with himself and his never-ending train of thought.

The note he had received from Dream was now laying on his bed. The daisy he had given him was still on the nightstand since he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it yet. Did Dream know that daisies were his favorite were was it just chance? It was more likely that it was just a pure guess, right? He never told anyone he liked daisies or made it very obvious that he liked them. The only person who could have any guess towards it was his mother and he doubted she ever told anyone. It was just a coincidence that he chose a daisy out of all the exotic flowers they had in their garden. Why was he so focused on the flower? He should be angry right now, that jerk took his money. If he hadn't already committed crimes by breaking into the castle, he'd spend the rest of his living days behind cell bars for stealing gold from the _prince_ of all people.

He couldn't put a pin into figuring anything out about Dream, the man was a complete enigma. Someone he didn't know, flirting with him right when they met, having a sudden outburst of calling him out, clearly doing something illegal, stealing his coin purse, but then taking care of him after his associate knocked him out. It was all so confusing and upsetting. Why didn't any of it make sense? It was infuriating to no end. This guy dared to walk into his life out of the blue and send him down a rabbit hole of emotions that he didn't know how to properly deal with, as if he didn't already hate his life as is. _I think the reason you're still here is that getting involved with a 'criminal' like me gives your boring princey life a change for once._ What did Dream know about his life? Why would he want things to get more complicated than they already were? Asshole.....

His life wasn't boring. He just had routine and little to no responsibilities around the castle..... and he also just slept all day every day. Okay, maybe Dream was right that being a prince was boring, but it didn't mean things weren't already complicated as is. His parents never listened to him and he wasn't allowed to go anywhere and he had to get married in a month. Sure, he wasn't involved in any of the planning, but he thought about it a lot! Surely that counts for something..... Damn it he wasn't gonna let this guy get into his head like this. Dream is just a dick in a mask, that's all he was and that's all he'll ever be. If George saw him again he wasn't gonna let him slip away like last time. He's gonna be sure he got arrested and taken care of like the other filthy pieces of shit that took residence in their kingdom. Then George would be sure to visit him in the dungeons and make fun of him. Yeah, that'd show him.

Still, George knew deep down he wasn't going to do a single thing about him, even if he didn't completely admit it to himself. Dream was right, if he wanted to get rid of him he would have told a guard that he was there. Hell, he didn't even say anything about his pig friend either and he knocked him out cold last night. Was he just that desperate for a change or was Dream just trying to mess with him? But if he was messing with him then why did it feel all too true...? God he wanted to go back to yesterday when he didn't meet Dream, just ignored that he'd seen anything, that he'd never followed him, then at least the only thing he had to have to fill his head was worries of getting married. His stomach hurt.....

George walked over to his nightstand and picked up the daisy. He held the stem between his thumb and pointer finger, twirling it slowly in his hand as he stared at it. The petals were a pure and vibrant white and they were soft and delicate to the touch. George brought the flower to his nose and tried to see if it had any kind of scent. It smelt... earthy, it wasn't the most displeasing smell, not the best, but not the worst. It was still a sweet flower, no matter how common or simple it was. His kingdom was pretty big on plants, their land was filled with strange vegetation, like the many mushroom trees that grew outside the castle walls. Which made it all that stranger that his favorite was such a plain flower. To be fair he didn't see what was so great about a lot of the flowers they grew in their vast garden. People would awe at them and say they were so vibrant and colorful, though the only ones George would say had those traits were the blue or some of the yellow ones. Whatever they liked though, George couldn't judge.

Either to come to his rescue or to punish him further for existing, a knock at his door was able to shake him from his thoughts. George set down the daisy and pushed the letter under his blanket, if it was his father he didn't want to deal with any questions about where it came from. Good thing he did because as he opened the door he was forced to face the king once again. "Greetings, father," George said, continuing to make friends with the floor by staring at it. "George, I'm sure you're aware of why I'm here to speak with you, regarding what you did last night." Wow... what an amazing finish to the marble, it must have cost a ton to floor the entire castle with it. "Yes, father." Shoes could use a new shining, they looked all scuffed and dusty. His mother wouldn't be pleased to know the prince is walking around in shoes that looked like this. "I spoke with your mother about what we should do as a punishment and came to a fair conclusion." The king's voice was so loud, it made the panging in George's head hurt even more than it did before. Damn pig, what was he even doing in the kitchen that late at night? "You'll be spending the day working alongside Captain Puffy so that you can understand how much work goes into protecting us."

"An entire day of work just for a couple of minutes outside after dark? Doesn't it seem like a lot? It's completely unfair!" George argued, daring to look up at his dad. Which of course was a bad idea because now he could see the anger starting to take shape on his face rather than just imagining it in his head. "You know the rules and you broke them anyway, you have to learn from your mistakes. You're not even going to be doing anything today anyways other than lazing about in your room and sleeping, might as well make yourself useful for once."

"I'd help you if you let me, but every time I try to you just put me down and tell me to leave!"

"Because you do irresponsible things like this, it means you're still too childish to truly understand what our world is like."

"I'm twenty years old! And using that logic shouldn't you think I'm too childish to get married as well?"

"You're getting too old to not be married, and you know it's necessary to improve our relations with our neighboring kingdom."

"You are so insufferable and con- ow-!" George put a hand to his head. The shouting caused a shoot of pain where his head injury was, making it hard for him to finish what he was saying to his dad. "What's your problem?"

"I just woke up with a headache is all. This convoluted conversation isn't helping." George didn't know why he was pushing so much right now. He knew it was no good to try and defend himself or try to get his father to understand. He already knew it wasn't going to get him anywhere, what even was the point? If his father was trying to call him childish, yet too old to not be married then his side of the argument was so backward that George shouldn't even bother. "Helping Captain Puffy should be the perfect distraction then. She's in the back fields, do not keep her waiting. This conversation is over, goodbye George." The king walked off, leaving him in an even worse mood than before. Nevertheless, George obeyed and headed on his way to meet with Captain Puffy.

As George walked into the back fields he could see Captain Puffy speaking to some of the squires. "The prince is going to be here soon and I hope you all treat him with the utmost respect. You all should be minding your business anyway since I'll be showing him the ropes for most of the day, so just go about your duties as you normally would." Puffy noticed George, then quickly added on, "Oh, and be on the lookout for that thief."

"Yes ma'am!" They all said in unison, breaking apart to go do their assigned jobs. "Good morning, Prince George." Puffy greeted him, giving a bow as well. "Good morning, Captain Puffy." George tried to smile, but it was hard to make it seem genuine. "I know, this isn't the best way to spend your day, but I'll try my best to not make it too terrible. To be honest," She leaned in a bit and began to whisper, "I'm only gonna introduce you to a few squires and show you how to do some of the easiest tasks we have. Don't tell the king though, but Tuesdays happen to be our slack day." She gave a small laugh and went back to her typical speaking voice. "Anyways, let us begin with a few tasks then around sun high we'll be switching shifts so we can take a break and eat, then after that, we'll come back out again and that's when I'll introduce you to a few of the squires I've taken under my wing."

The next few hours were spent with Captain Puffy teaching him proper knight etiquette, how to put on a suit of armor, and showing him different types of weapons and how to use them. George had even convinced her to let him learn a bit of sword fighting since the last time he had held any weapon was only around when he was twelve or thirteen. He was good at it back then, he remembered beating Nick the few times they sparred together, but he must be way better than George now. Hopefully, they didn't run into him while they were out here, George was certain that he'd probably demand a rematch even after all this time.

Captain Puffy was about to show George a move when she looked up to see where the sun currently was. "It's sun high, so we're going to have to leave this here, maybe you'll get another chance to keep learning how to use a sword. I don't know why your parents ever stopped you in the first place, you were really good as a teen..." George handed back the sword to Puffy, his muscles feeling sore from all the physical work out. It'd been a while since he last exercised, but it felt good to be tired from work rather than tired from nothing like he usually was. "Thank you though, it was fun even if I never get to do it again..." Puffy frowned at his words, clearly disappointed in how saddening that statement was. "You know what? I'll put in a word to your parents in my report about how a young prince should know how to defend himself in case anything were to happen. They're sticklers for preparation, if I make it seem like it's a huge necessity I'm sure I can convince them to let you train with the other squires occasionally."

"You don't have to go through the trouble for that."

"I know," Puffy smiled at him, "Now come on, I'm sure you're starving after all that. Let's get inside and cool off, it's way too hot to stay out here."

Once inside they went to the knights' corridors where their dining hall was and was served, well, the nicest way George could put it was slop. It looked like what they'd feed the livestock in town. Captain Puffy sat across from him with hers and began eating her serving of what she called 'gruel'. "You eat this every day?" He questioned, poking his wooden spoon at it. "It's nothing like what I used to eat at sea as a kid, but you get used to it after years of eating it."

"At sea?"

"Oh, it's known amongst all of us knights, but I guess no one would have ever told you, but I used to be a pirate. Well, my parents were pirates, they let me travel with them occasionally. I always wanted to become the captain of our crew, sail the seas, and explore uncharted lands. Have adventures and form bonds with my crewmates....." Puffy had on a melancholy smile as she reminisced, "Of course, that dream wouldn't last, as you can tell I'm sitting here with you rather than sailing any kind of ocean. On one of the trips they allowed me to come on we came here, hoping to pillage the place. We had large numbers, good fighters, but your parents were prepared. They didn't even know they were going to be attacked, but they certainly were ready for anything. It wasn't even a hard battle, we lost almost immediately. Whoever ended up surrendering were sentenced to be hanged..... including my mother and father. I was going to be too, but one of the knights here offered to take me in as a squire to save me from getting executed like the rest of them and... I took it."

She stared down at her half-eaten gruel and was silent for a few seconds. "Sorry, didn't mean to make lunch depressing. I obviously miss my parents and the life we used to live, but I trained hard and had..... _certain_ help along the way to get where I am today, and hey, I'm a captain! Not a pirate captain, but I still get to command people and have great experiences with the people here." George wasn't sure how to respond properly to all of that, it just pissed him off. Surely not all of them deserved to die, it was a crime against the crown, but they had a perfectly good prison to put to use. They were even gonna kill an innocent child just because she happened to be apart of the crew..... it was fucked up. "Hey, don't get yourself in a twist, there are better ways to direct your feelings. That's what I did as a kid and it's gotten me this far hasn't it?"

"It's wrong though! It's so fucking shitty, how could they do that to you? They were gonna kill you and now you work to protect them?" George had stood up, slamming a hand on the table, but after getting a few odd glances from the others in the hall he sat back down. "Sorry, that was very unprofessional of me. Both as a one day squire and a prince. I will still say that I don't agree with what happened to you though. Maybe you've gotten past it, but it's still horrible."

"Prince-"

"You're a Captain, you eat _this_ every day. After years of effort to protecting us nothing about your living conditions is even improved. I know you still sleep in the same place as you did when you started training here. All you've gotten after all of that is a slight pay raise and more work. You're sacrificing your life for the people who took away your future."

".....At least I'm alive."

"You're alive, but are you living?"

Captain Puffy didn't respond. George pushed his bowl of gruel away from himself, if he didn't want to eat it before his loss of appetite didn't help. The rest of their break inside was spent in awkward silence until Puffy let him know that they needed to get back to work.

They didn't speak as they went into a courtyard where a small brown-haired male was practicing his archery. "Shut up, Tommy. I'm gonna get a bullseye eventually, my game is just off today." He seemed to be talking to someone, but... there wasn't anyone other than him there. "Squire Tubbo!" Captain Puffy greeted. Tubbo jumped, accidentally sending off an arrow that landed in a bush two feet away from his target. "Oh my god you scared me, Captain-" He started chuckling, but then immediately straightened up once he saw that George was with her. "Greetings, Prince George." He gave a bow and then went to fetch the arrow he sent careening into the shrubbery just moments before. "I wanted the Prince to meet a few squires while he was with us today. If you don't mind I need to leave him with you for a bit so I can do work elsewhere."

"Yes ma'am, Captain!" Tubbo responded cheerfully, bowing again as she made her leave. "Nice to meet you, Tubbo."

"It's a pleasure to be able to work with you, Prince. I'm not entirely sure what to do with you though, wasn't expecting this today." He nervously laughed. "Oh that's okay, uh..... were you talking to someone before?"

"Yep! I was talking to Tommy." George was... confused, to say the least. "Who is Tommy?"

"He's my best friend! We hang out with each other every day." George glanced around the courtyard to make sure he wasn't missing some very obvious person that was with them named Tommy, but it was just the two of them. "There's no one else here though."

"Oh I know, you can't see him."

".....Is he like... an imaginary friend?"

"Nope!" Tubbo said it so confidently that George didn't feel like the squire was lying to him, but there was no other explanation he could think of other than maybe this kid was insane. "Oh... okay. Can you show me how to do a bit of archery?" George asked, changing the topic from the non-existent Tommy person he couldn't see. "Sure, though I'm not as good as some of the others. I've still got a ways to go...." He scratched the back of his head. Tubbo seemed innocent enough, especially with that sunshine attitude he had. Maybe he wasn't insane, but there was still something up. "That's fine, I don't mind."

For the next hour or so Tubbo struggled to show George how to shoot a bow, but the prince was able to at least hit the target, very far off from the center, a few times. A couple of times it seemed like Tubbo mumbled something to himself trying to defend his horrible skills, George just tried to ignore it to his best ability. "Ayy Tubbo!" There was a loud voice from behind them. "Hello Quackity and Ranboo, I'm teaching the prince how to use a bow and arrow."

"Wow, how did that end up happening? Also, Nice to meet you, Prince." Ranboo bowed. His hair was split through the middle, black on one side and white on the other. His eyes seemed to match this pattern as well since one was green and the other was red. "The Captain left me with him, I'm not sure when she's going to be getting back though. She said she had something to do."

"So, Big T, how is the training going?" Quackity asked, leaning against a nearby tree. "Take a look at the targets and guess." Multiple arrows laid scattered around the ground by the target. "You'll get there one day." He went to ruffle Tubbo's hair, but at the slightest touch to his head, he flinched away. "Ah, my uh-"

"Oh, right, sorry." Quackity quickly apologized, now just giving him a pat on the back. Why didn't George ever understand what was happening? He was completely lost with no explanation for why Tubbo flinched like that and he probably wouldn't get an answer even if he asked. "Anyways, what are you two doing here?"

"We were thinking of skipping out on our afternoon tasks and go into town for a bit." Quackity elbowed Ranboo, clearing his throat and trying his best to make a subtle motion towards George. "Oh, was I not supposed to say that?" Quackity rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, it's too late now, but yes those are our plans, is Mr. Princey gonna rat us out to his parents or the Captain?"

"Please don't call me that." Just the word 'princey', which wasn't even an actual word, reminded him of Dream and the last thing he wanted to think of was that d-bag. "And I'm not going to tell anyone, as long as we don't get caught."

"Hey! Maybe you're cooler than I thought you were." Quackity cracked a wide smile. He didn't have much respect for George or his parents, but unlike Karl with Nick, the other two squires were not trying to stop Quackity from saying something that'd get him in trouble. George wasn't sure if they just didn't care as much about their jobs or if they didn't care as much for Quackity, either way, George wasn't going to do anything about it. "We'll be back before Captain Puffy returns though, right? I can't really be getting into any more trouble than I already have."

"Aw, poor Prince George doesn't want to get caught disobeying his parents again?" Quackity joked, clearly trying to push George's boundaries. "We haven't been caught yet, I'd say we're fine... probably." Ranboo put in as he looked down at a book he was writing in. "That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"It's not as exciting if there's a guarantee there is no danger in doing it." Quackity said. George wasn't convinced. The last thing he wanted was another day of this or some kind of worse punishment. "I think I'll actually just stay here, I'll just tell Captain Puffy that you guys went to do work elsewhere and I wanted to keep practicing my aim."

"Maybe you're not as cool as I thought you were." George ignored Quackity's insult, going to pull back an arrow to shoot at the target. "Have fun with your disobedience."

George was left alone, which maybe wasn't the best choice because now he only had himself and his thoughts. He was thinking back to that room again. Not specifically about Dream, though he did seem to force his way into his mind on occasion, George was mostly thinking about the mystery behind why that room was there. Was it purposefully covered up so that no one could find it? What was the point of it? Were there more rooms like it within the castle walls? Forgotten for years and years, untouched by human hand? George's curiosity was getting the best of him. He wanted to go back there.

George soon found himself abandoning the courtyard, his feet bringing him back to the room with the piano. He made sure to grab a lit candlestick before going inside. Stepping into the room he was brought back to the previous day, Dreams hand pulling at his arm and dragging him inside. He was certain his hand had lingered there as if he didn't want to let go of George. Gah... shouldn't think so much about that bastard of a man. Though, since he was on his mind it got him curious again. Where did Dream escape from in this room if he didn't go through the door to the hallway? Before Dream blew out the light on his lantern he was standing by the piano, maybe there was another way out.

He inspected around the piano, knocking at the wall to see if it sounded more hallow on the other side. George did find a likely place where there could be some kind of door, but there was no hidden handle on the side like there was with the other door. Did it open up some other way? Surely there was some way through..... too bad George didn't see Dream leave. Maybe if he pushed hard enough he could somehow force it open? George put a shoulder to the wall, putting all of his weight into trying to get the door to open itself, but it still wouldn't budge. He decided that maybe he should try pushing with both of his hands, but he would have to set down the candlestick somewhere. Lining the walls were candleholders so it wouldn't be so difficult to do that, but something seemed off. One of them was twisted out of place and all crooked, rather than sitting straight on the wall. George pushed it into place and as he did so he could hear a faint click noise from where he knew the door was at.

He went back to see what it was and at the slightest push to the wall, the door flung open. So there had been some other way to open the door, good thing George was lucky enough to find it. The opening led to a stone hallway that had absolutely no lighting in it, so George would have to be sure he didn't let his candle go out, or else he'd end up getting lost in the dark. He was careful as he took each step in the hall, unsure of where it could take him. George walked for some time in the musty hall, somewhat regretting going exploring in here while he was already exhausted from doing work all day, but it was too late to go back now. A few minutes later he stepped out into a new room, this one completely different from where he had just left.

It was hard to tell from the dim candle lighting, but the room was some kind of old dining hall, with one small wooden table in the middle of the room. Well, it was small in regards to his dining table, but it was large enough to fit an average-sized family. George set the candlestick down on the decaying wood, the shaking light showed that there were a few words carved into the wood here and there on the table. The first he looked at was a heart with the writing 'W & S' in the middle of it, the second he saw was 'I hate it here', it looked like someone had signed their name by the note, but later on scratched away the signature. George would have read every etched-in note on the wood if something else in the room didn't catch his eye.

He was surprised he hadn't noticed it sooner, but it was hard to make out every detail of the room considering how dark it was. Picking up the candlestick once more, George walked to the far right side of the room and shone the light up to see a painted portrait hanging from the wall. It was a family sitting together, but they didn't look human. Each one of them had characteristics of that of an animal. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before, besides one of them he came to recognize. It was that pig..... Dream had called him Techno. He didn't look the same as when George had gotten a glimpse of him in the kitchen, but it's hard to forget the face of a guy who knocks you out cold. Why was the family portrait of a criminal hidden away in the walls of the castle?

There was a sharp, cold jab against the back of George's neck that sent shivers down his spine. "You're getting a bit too curious here, Prince."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me awhile to finish, there was a lot of things I wanted to do for this chapter, but hope you guys have a good new year and you like this chapter :)


	4. When the pawn takes control

"You're getting a bit too curious here, Prince."

A voice George regrettably recognized. "There are terrible repercussions to hurting the one and only heir to the throne... Dream." The blade against his neck didn't move. George couldn't tell what kind of weapon it was, he didn't dare turn his head to see. Their two shadows dancing on the walls from the candlelight didn't give away much either, but he should really be worrying about getting out of this than wondering what kind of sharp object Dream was threatening him with. "What are you doing here?" George very well could have retorted back 'I could ask you the same', but this didn't seem like the time to banter. Dreams voice was cold and emotionless compared to the playful tone he had the previous day, leading George to feel that this was serious.

"I wanted to explore." He responded. The fear of getting murdered was making George's heart want to make a break for it and escape from his chest. "You know what they say," The point on his neck dug in slightly, causing a beginning trickle of blood from the now open wound, "Curiosity killed the cat." What was so different from yesterday? What was so important about this room that the prince discovering it meant he had to die? Why was today just filled with questions George wasn't going to get any answers to? "Let's not get rash here." The words came out hoarse, his throat had gone dry again. "Come on, Dream... please....." He had gone quiet as he spoke, his words a plead for his life.

"You're not supposed to be here, how else am I supposed to deal with this?" Dreams tone had shifted slightly, less as unemotional than before. He didn't want to kill him... right? "I wasn't supposed to be in the kitchen last night either, you didn't want to kill me then."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"...I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

George could tell Dream was starting to get annoyed with him, but for a second the blade left his neck, giving George a glimpse of hope. That'd be gone in an instant the moment the cold edge of the blade was placed right below his Adam's apple. George could tell now that it was a dagger. "You're in no position to be asking questions." Dream was back to the same cold demeanor, his voice dark and low. George was sure that if he wasn't wearing a mask he'd feel Dreams warm breath against the back of his ear from how close he was. Imagining it sent a shiver down his spine. "You're gonna kill me either way, aren't you?" There was hesitation from Dream before he spoke again, "I have to." There was a waver in his voice.

"You don't _have_ to do anything... and you know what I think?" George continued, "If you were going to kill me, then you would have done it already." His words echoed that of Dreams. "Shut up."

"You know I'm right."

 **"I said shut up!"** George was brought to silence. Dream yelling was almost as terrifying as having his life threatened, so both at the same time was enough to leave him almost completely petrified. "Do you really think I'd _want_ to kill you? I didn't think you'd ever find out how to get here! You had to go be a dumbass and try and learn more than you should. You've seen too much, don't you understand?" His tone was laced with anger, but George could hear the pain and regret he was trying to keep out. "The last thing I'd ever want to do is kill you." George couldn't respond, words were lost from his throat, though he was sure if he even knew what to say he wouldn't be able to get it out. The pressure from the edge of the blade lessened.

"Then don't kill me." George was finally able to get out. "I barely understand what I've managed to stumble across here anyways, I've learned nothing. I don't know why this room is so important, I don't know who these people in this painting are, I don't..." He paused for a second, "I don't know anything." It came out soft and quiet, his voice dwindling with a tremble. George hated that he knew so little of what was going on, it was pitiful that the prince of all people couldn't understand a single thing of what was going on around him. He wasn't allowed to know why relations with their neighboring kingdom were so important, he wasn't allowed to know why he wasn't allowed to do anything, and he wasn't allowed to know what secrets were in the walls of his own home. George just felt so..... useless.

Before George knew it, the man who was just about to slice his throat open had wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close and resting the surface of his mask against his shoulder. He went completely still, not sure how to react, but it was strangely..... comforting. George couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged by anyone. Even though he knew he shouldn't just accept the hug, especially after Dream just threatened to kill him, but George was so touch-starved he couldn't help but end up leaning against Dreams chest. George was brought back to his dream from that night when his knees had given out and the only thing keeping him up had been Dream holding on to him. He had felt warm before, but right now he couldn't feel any heat coming from his body. In fact, George couldn't even hear or feel a heartbeat. His chest did not rise and fall, was he not even breathing? "Dream?"

"Prince?"

"Are you..... actually, never mind. Forget I said anything." Even if George tried to ask anything he knew he wouldn't get an answer. "What is it? You can ask." God, his voice was so soft now, it was going to be the real death of him. "Are you going to kill me? I don't mean right now but at any point in the future." That wasn't the actual question he had wanted to ask before, but it was still one that he had on his mind. "I don't know what you're doing here or why it's happening, but you're not going to do anything to me... are you?" Dream was completely silent, giving no answer to the question. "I see..." George pulled away from Dream's embrace, turning to face him and backing up towards the portrait hanging on the walls. The candlelight flickered aggressively and set Dream's mask in an odd light, his shadow now looming like a large threatening beast on the walls behind. He could faintly see that his robe had been tinged on the shoulder from where the blood from George's neck had gotten on him. "Prince... I-" Dream took a step towards him, reaching out his hand. "There's... there's something wrong with you."

"What?" Dream seemed to be taken aback. "There's something very wrong with you."

"I don't understand what you mean." Dreams previously outstretched arm had fallen limp by his side. "I don't understand _you_! You were just about to kill me, now you've completely switched into what seems like a completely different person." One moment his throat is less than an inch away from being cut open, the next he's being held in the arms of the one who threatened him in the first place, no matter how you look at it, that's not normal behavior. "There's something very wrong with you."

"There's nothing _wrong_ with me, you just don't know who I am."

"Yeah, I don't know you." Dreams head tilted downwards, looking to the floor. "Well..."

"'Well' what Dream?"

"Nothing, well nothing....." The masked male let out an audible sigh, moving his head back up so that the beady eyes of the mask were looking directly at George. A silence fell over the both of them, neither sure of what to say or what the next move to take should be. "You need to leave." Dream finally broke the deafening quiet that had passed over the two. "Or what? You'll kill me?"

"I won't kill you, I don't want to kill you, but someone else will."

"Who? That..... freak in the kitchen who knocked me out? What did you say his name was? Techno?"

"Hey, he's not a 'freak', but he isn't afraid to hurt those who get in his way. If you don't get out of here and pretend like you never saw anything it's going to create a lot of problems that I don't want you to be involved with."

"Because he's one of the creatures in this painting behind me."

"Well, it could be another... pig-faced uh..... man......" George rolled his eyes and turned away from Dream to look at the painting again. "Tell me who these people are or I won't leave." George wanted to know something, anything, that could at least somewhat clear up the mystery of everything that was happening. If Dream really didn't want him dead, then he was going to take advantage of that to get some of what he wants. "Pr-"

"I've already made up my mind. Tell me or kill me, those are your options." He could tell he'd pushed Dream into a corner with that. It felt..... good to be the one controlling the situation for once. He wasn't going to let himself be a pawn. "Prince," Dream sounded like he was speaking through his teeth, "There's no way I can tell you, it's a death wish."

"I die in both scenarios so it doesn't matter," George whispered out, staring at the ground before looking back up to the masked male across from him, ".....At least you won't be the one to kill me, right?" His hand clenched tightly into a fist, "There's a chance nothing is going to happen to me anyway, it's a gamble I'm willing to take to learn at least _something_ about what the hell has been going on around me for the past couple of days!" George began taking a few steps towards Dream. "I'm not going to just be an oblivious and gullible prince to be pushed around however anyone pleases! Especially not by disgusting horrible criminals like you!" His voice crescendoed in volume as he let his emotions show through more in what he was saying. George had gotten close enough to the point he was inches from Dream. "You better _fucking_ tell me or kill me where I stand."

Dream had to take a couple of steps back, clearing his throat before speaking, "Fine, Prince, I'll tell you what I know. Pullover a seat..." Dream took one of the old wooden chairs from the table and motioned for George to do the same. Once the both of them were seated the storytelling began,

"Have you heard the myth of beings who were part man and part animal?" George shook his head in response. "They say these creatures lived long ago in a peaceful society all of their own, but something made them disappear one day without another trace. Everything of their existence seemingly erased from our history, nothing more than a fairy tale to tell children about to help them fall asleep at night. What most people don't know now is that this ancient race of people actually existed and they were called shapeshifters. The people painted here were shapeshifters long ago."

"'Were'?" Dream nodded. "They _were_ shapeshifters. The myth isn't completely wrong, they did disappear in the sense that they were all killed off. Well, almost all of them were killed off. Humans would hunt them down for glory and fame because they would earn acclaim and riches beyond their wildest dreams. They were celebrated as heroes among men while the families they had torn apart from their bloodlust were left to suffer from the devastation of their loss. Shapeshifters didn't usually get along too well, so the only times you saw them together was because they were related by blood. Family would travel or settle together, only rarely did other families meet, and that only happened during special ceremonies that they held every few decades."

"They were spiritual people with strong beliefs, their souls are said to be much stronger than ours, even persisting long after their mortal bodies perished. They didn't believe in violence, though their animalistic abilities did make them naturally stronger than the average human, so it wasn't like they were easy to kill when attacked."

"Get on with it, I feel like I'm being lectured by one of my tutors, just tell me about the ones in the portrait." George groaned, slouching in his seat which made it creak in distress. "I feel like I'm gonna fall asleep listening to you right now."

"You're the one who wanted to know!"

"I didn't know it was gonna be about so complicated..." Dream chuckled softly at his reply. "It's way more complicated than I think you're even aware of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing... nothing....." There was a short pause. "Let me tell you about the people here. The one standing in the back with the large wings was named Philza, he was Techno and his two other siblings' father. I've only heard a lot of good things about him from Techno, though I'm suspicious as to if he's being completely truthful because his story doesn't really line up perfectly if Philza was as great of a father as he claims. Though he won't even tell me everything so I guess I could be wrong about that. Anyways, Techno told me he was a very deeply caring father who did everything he could to try and protect and provide for his kids. Their mother was killed shortly after the youngest was born so Philza had to take care of three kids completely on his own."

"Next one is Wilbur, he's the one next to Techno. They're twins, though they look absolutely nothing alike."

"None of them really look alike, at that Wilbur looks human." It was true, of the people standing together Wilbur seemed the most human, other than Philza. George couldn't even tell what kind of animal he was supposed to be. "Aren't they supposed to be shapeshifters?"

"Well, think of the name you just said, Prince. It's pretty self-explanatory." George rolled his eyes at Dreams snide comment. "Just keep explaining, asshole."

"Wilbur preferred to look human, but he took after their father with the wings. That's actually incredibly rare among shapeshifters, they usually take on the abilities of an entirely different animal, like Techno being a pig."

"Why would he want to look human? Didn't humans kill their mother? You'd think he'd hate them for what they did to their family."

"Techno says he had a fascination with humans, he said there was a lot more to them than just their violent tendencies. He often would go undercover and study humans by visiting their towns and cities. He had a dream to try and unite the shapeshifters in the same way the humans were united, that maybe if they could all live together peacefully in one place they could eventually learn to coexist with humans. Wilbur did achieve that dream, but....." His head tilted down towards his lap. "I guess things didn't turn out so well."

"They never do. If you don't want to be 'oblivious' or 'gullible' then you better learn quickly that things are never going to go your way. Life has a way of destroying you like it just keeps kicking even when you're already beaten up and crippled on the floor."

"Then what's even the point? If nothing goes right then why try to do anything?"

"Live out of spite, trick yourself into thinking there's a bigger meaning in it all..... find something that makes your life worth living." The two of them didn't say anything for a couple of moments. George didn't know what he considered was what made his life worth living, but it sounded like Dream at least had something that kept him going. What meaning had he found that kept him going? George couldn't even begin to imagine the many possibilities. ".....who is the woman next to Wilbur?"

"Sally, she was Wilbur's wife and mother of his son, her animal was a salmon. Wilbur met her during one of his ventures to study humans and apparently they connected immediately."

"And their kid is...?"

"The fox, his name is Fundy. I don't know much about him, Techno didn't seem to really care much for him other than acknowledging that he existed."

"He sounds like a dick."

"He is, at least towards the people he doesn't trust. If you manage to get onto his good side then I promise you'd think he was a great person. Techno doesn't like to show his emotions cause he believes they're a sign of weakness, but he cares deeply for the people he wants to protect."

"Are you one of those people?"

"Ehhh..... it's complicated." George groaned. "Everything is complicated with you."

"You're not wrong." Dream laughed. "So, you also said Techno had a younger brother? Is he the one that's all....." Of all the people in the painting, there was one left that Dream hadn't told him about yet. The face had been ripped off, the body clawed and ripped through, it was clear whoever did it wanted to really rid that person from the painting. "Techno won't tell me anything about him other than that he died along with everyone else. I don't dare push him to tell me more, it seems like a touchy subject."

"That's all of them then, huh?" There wasn't anyone left on the painting for Dream to tell him about so that meant he'd fulfilled his end of the deal. "I'll leave now since that was the agreement." George stood from his seat and wiped off the dust that had gotten on him. Dream followed suit and got up as well. "Yeah, I guess so..." He seemed disappointed. "Can I escort you out?"

"And why would I let you do that?"

"Because after this experience we've bonded to a point that you have now grown to be just a bit more attached to me."

"I took advantage of the situation to make you tell me what I wanted to know, that's not what I consider 'bonding'."

"Oh yeah, you should let yourself get heated like that more often, it was really hot, like... major turn on."

"You're so disgusting, Dream."

"You love it."

"I actually really hate it."

"You wanna fuck me so bad right now."

"Okay, I'm leaving now, bye Dream."

Despite the protests he heard behind him, George didn't look back once he had gotten through the secret hallway and back to the piano room. He'd left the courtyard so long ago, Puffy had to of realized he was gone by now. Though once he had reached the place he had abandoned, the area was filled with voices. Entering the courtyard he could see now who all was there. It was the three squires from before and..... Captain Puffy. Time to be prepared for some kind of scolding. "Ay! Prince George! You're back from your _restroom_ break, we've been waiting on you." Quackity cheered, making his way over to George, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Just go along with it, we're even now for you not snitching on us." He said it under his breath so that only George could hear him say it. "Haha, yeah, sorry about that....." Quackity removed his arm after a deadly glare from the captain.

"Thank you for joining us today, Prince George. I really hope I can convince your parents to let you join us for some more combat training in the future." Puffy said, flashing a smile at him. "Yeah, I had a good time getting to know everyone today."

"You're free to leave now as well, you've finished your day of work."

"Aw c'mon princey, don't leave us just yet, we've been having just so much fun hanging out." Quackity whined, gaining a few comments in agreement from the others. They must all be in on the lie together, other than Puffy obviously. Must have come back before him and realized he hadn't stayed, so when Captain Puffy came around looking for him they covered for him..... "I- I don't know about staying, it's been a really long day." The squires passed looks between each other, well it was more Quackity and Tubbo, Ranboo was keeping to himself and his book. "...But, I think I can find some time tomorrow to do something since I had such a great time today with you guys....."

"Oh come on boys, don't pressure the prince into doing anything. Remember your place here." Puffy said sternly. "It's fine, captain, I don't feel pressured at all, it'll give me something to do." God knows he already didn't do anything anyway, but today was exhausting enough and he didn't want to spend another minute away from his bed. Plus, his neck still stung from the dagger that was held against it earlier and he definitely didn't have a way of explaining it if any of them happened to notice it.

"Can I do the honor of walking Prince George back to his room?" Quackity asked. Puffy looked to him for approval to which George nodded yes. "Fine, but be back in ten minutes."

"You got it captain, let's go Prince." Quackity headed inside, George following behind him. "Please don't call me prince or _princey_ , you can call me Prince George or George."

"Don't be so uptight, it's just you me! You can drop the whole cool and composed act, we all know you went somewhere while you were supposed to be practicing. So where was Mr. Goody Goody at that entire time?" Quackity inquired. "That's my business and I don't have to tell you."

"Don't be so boring. You can trust me!"

"You don't really seem like the most trustworthy guy."

"I'm incredibly offended by that."

"Good, it was meant to offend." George cracked a smile. "You are mean, Prince."

"Don't call me that."

"Fine. You are mean, George. Is that better?"

"It's a lot better actually." They walked for a few minutes, bickering back and forth, but it had become more in a fun way rather than an annoyed way. Once they reached his room they exchanged goodbyes and the moment George hit the bed he was out.

That night he had no nightmares about kissing a horrible criminal and he woke up refreshed and ready to start the day. Well, that was until his eyes adjusted to the room and that very criminal was sitting at the end of his bed. "Morning sleeping beauty, I need a small favor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, I hoped to get it done on Valentines day, but it turned out to be a lot more emotionally draining of a day for me than expected, and I'm not even currently in a relationship with anyone, just a lot of things weighing on me I guess. Anyways, I hope this chapter was good enough for the wait and makes you even more interested in this universe I created! If you have any questions or just want to talk to me you can message me on Twitter or insta at @plainoldarkness


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